I dont have any past dealing with this company, but those rhizomes look like they are hanging on for dear life. That is not a 12-24" Musa.
Joe

How did your Canna lily tubers do, that where ordered from Guildwood. I was thinking to order from them as well.

Dear Tremedic,

I had a similar problem with my order. However, they were quick to respond, sending me replacement rhizomes the following planting season.

I ordered from them this year and I was very pleased with the order.

Charmaine

If anyone is interested in a update....All three cannas came up (one shoot per root)and are now about 6inches tall. Two of the cannas are very badley virused and the other one looks pretty sickly. Compared to my own rhizomes that I kept from last year that are now two feet tall and looking great. I still have not heard anything from the company. I am going to take some pictures of the virused cannas and send them to Guildwood and see what can be done.
p.s. The banana Musa Basjoo is now a whopping 6 inches tall with three leaves!

treemedic,
I hate it that you got robbed so badly on your order. This is why I always pay for my online orders by credit card. Your card company will protect you from being ripped off like this. You can dispute the charges and you would not have to pay for an order such as you received. You can bet the company would respond rapidly when the credit card company doesn't pay them for a bad order like you received. They would bend over backwards trying to make you happy.

I would definitely leave negative feedback on Garden Watchdog, and if possible put in a link to your picture so that other potential customers see what they might expect if they order from this company. Thanks for posting this. Guildwood will not be getting any of my business!

Joe,
Is that Guildwood cannas from Maple, Ontario (ie Toronto). I see you're listed in San Antonio, TX. I didn't think Guildwood shipped to the US as it's a small home-based business without a US branch. Are we talking the same company or is that the confusion here?

Canna viruses are common to anyone who grows cannas. It will be hard these days to find cannas anywhere that do not have some form of virus. Some cannas show it more prominently than others. Hybridizers are working to create more virus resistant cannas. But if you are a canna grower, at some point, you'll have the canna virus. I have about 50 varieties, and while I can't see the virus in most of them, I don't fool myself into believing the virus isn't there.

In most cases, the virus is just a nuisance and doesn't kill the plant. Cut the leaves off and trash them (don't compost them) and let the plant grow new ones. The warmer it gets, the less pronounced the symptoms of the virus will be. In my hot climate (100 degrees currently), any signs of virus are gone. But I know that my cannas probably all have some form of virus. They often outgrow the symptoms. As long as they look good, I'm happy.

In cooler climates, the virus can be more prominent. If you get cannas from me, they may show no sign of virus here, but in your climate, they may appear mottled. So don't hold the grower responsible for the virus. None of us can help it. There's no cure or preventative that I'm aware of. And like I said, the grower may not be seeing any signs of the virus on his land.

If your new cannas are growing, I'd say the grower sent what he promised. Your climate is not the ideal climate for such a tropical plant which thrives in long summers and high heat. More than likely, if you sent the cannas to me, they'd be busting out everywhere by summer's end.

Also, cannas do much better if they can be planted in one place and left there year after year. The first year, they settle in and growth may be stunted. The second year, they really do some growing and multiplying. And usually by the 2nd or 3rd year, they're really plentiful and impressive. If you can keep them potted, reducing transplant shock from year to year, you'll probably become more impressed with them each year.

Bananas grow so incredibly fast. I have a musa basjoo. In the spring, it was nothing, as it dies back each winter here. But it's now about 10 ft tall and still growing. From 0 to 10 ft in 3 months! But again, it's a tropical and thrives in heat and sunshine, and we're hot and sunny.

So give the plants time and give them as much heat and sun as you can for best results. Feed them every now and then too. They need the energy to impress you.

NancyAnn

Hi Everyone...
Treemedic .. I have ordered from Guildwood before and have always had excellent service. Give Grant a call .. then phone number is on the web site. I know he had some problems getting some of the items he had ordered. I obtained some Musa canna, tropicanna, Lenape, Striped Beauty etc and they are all thriving. Im sure he will fix your order.

Laura